This Sunday, Dodge, the Chrysler Group's best-selling brand, will begin marketing efforts to communicate the global launch of its all-new 2007 Caliber. The Dodge Caliber is one of nine new vehicles launched by the brand in 2005 and 2006.

"With bold styling, five-door functionality, space-efficient packaging and clever innovations, the all-new 2007 Dodge Caliber is designed to appeal to global consumers looking for value in a vehicle that stands out from the crowd," said George Murphy, Senior Vice President – Global Marketing, Chrysler Group. "Starting at $13,985, Dodge Caliber is not your typical small car, and our target market is not your typical consumer.

"In fact, this target demographic is extremely influential and equally difficult to reach," continued Murphy. "They prefer brands that are perceived as hip and popular, but not too commercial; they respond best to messages that are available where they congregate, both on- and off-line. For Dodge Caliber, one of our keys to success will be connecting with consumers on their terms using their technology."

The primary U.S. target market for Dodge Caliber is a single 25 to 35-year-old male or female (50/50 split) with a college education and a median income of $45,000. Many will be first-time new car buyers. The secondary target market is a 40-plus-year-old parent in search of a new car for their child. These parents demand affordability and safety, and consider the overall cost of ownership before purchasing a vehicle.

The underlying theme that runs through all Dodge Caliber creative is "Make Your Presence Felt," which translates uniquely across various markets. For the national market, this translates into "It's Anything but Cute." In the African American market, this translates into "Respect the Unexpected" and "Lightweight, a lot of Character" (Peso Ligero, Mucho Caracter) for the Hispanic consumer market.

"It's Anything But Cute"

The tagline for the national marketing campaign is "It's Anything But Cute." The campaign pokes fun at the traditional perception of small cars as "cute" and strategically positions the Caliber as anything but. Messages are delivered in a humorous, irreverent manner which appeals to this specific target demographic.

Interactive/Integrated Marketing

Dodge will allocate 20 percent of its Caliber advertising budget to non-traditional, interactive on-line outlets and gaming. The brand will focus on specific outlets including comedy, music, animation and sports.

Caliber content and games will be found on various lifestyle Web sites including The Onion, Daily Candy, The Knot and Office Pirates. In addition, Dodge will tap into social networking opportunities on MySpace.com, Friendster.com and Avatar on Yahoo! and MSN, where these target consumers typically self-express, self-publish and discover new ideas.

On Dodge.com, 30 modules will highlight and demonstrate key product features including the Chill Zone TM  beverage storage bin, illuminated front cup holder rings, and the MusicGate Power TM  Boston Acoustics sound system.

The Chill Zone is a cooled beverage storage bin that can hold up to four 20-oz. bottles or cans. Illuminated front cup holder rings glow an electroluminescent blue to match other center stack lighting. The MusicGate Power is an available 458-watt Boston Acoustics nine-speaker premium sound system with a subwoofer and two articulating speakers packaged in the liftgate. When the liftgate is open, speakers can swing down to face rearward for tailgating and other activities.

Television

Dodge Caliber commercials begin airing Sunday, March 26 and will run on both network and cable stations. Following are brief descriptions for five of the commercials:

"Too Tough" opens on a big city skyline. A fairy flies into the scene intent on changing the tough into cute. With a wave of her magic wand, she turns a gothic-looking building into a gingerbread house. Next, she turns an elevated train into a cute old-fashioned toy train. Then she notices the new Dodge Caliber. She pursues the Caliber and tries to turn the Caliber into something cute. On her last attempt, her magic spell reflects off the side of the Caliber and knocks her to the ground. A tough guy walking his tough dog walks by and laughs. She flicks her wand and turns him into a cute guy walking several small, wimpy dogs. The spot is brought home with the tag line, "Introducing the all-new Dodge Caliber. It's anything but cute."

"Moon Dog" opens on a Dodge Caliber driving in a city. The Caliber passes a cute car with a cute dog looking out the side window. The dog whines as the Caliber passes. The Caliber passes another cute car with another cute dog staring outside. The dog whimpers as the Caliber passes. Scene cuts to inside of the Caliber. The driver glances over his shoulder and sees his dog looking at him. The driver says, "You are one sick puppy." The commercial cuts to the exterior of the Caliber to reveal that the dog inside is "mooning" the other dogs. Another cute dog reacts to the moon. The Caliber drives away with the dog still mooning, "Introducing the all-new Dodge Caliber. It's anything but cute."